Yodogawa Tecnic and Other Unique Installations

Kenji Yanobe, the creator of our favorite Giant Torayan, Postapocalyptic survival gear, Cinema in The Wood, to name a few, is now a curator of the Japanese TV show Digital Stadium. He has selected four unique installations for the show that was aired on June 17.

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[Yodogawa Tecnic – garbage turns into fish]

An outdoor installation by Hideaki Shibata and Kazuya Matsunaga is called Yodogawa Tecnic. As you may know, Yodogawa is the river that runs through the city of Osaka. The river is a rich source of the things the creators need, i.e., garbage. The idea of using garbage to make artworks may not be new. What makes their installation unique could be the location and the social context: the river right in the middle of a large city and the social issues related to consumerism and environmental destruction. The creators are building various artifacts using the garbage found in the river, and display them by the river. Then, their artworks again turn into garbage as time goes by. The enthusiastic and motivated young creators seem to view themselves as integrated components of the Yodogawa’s eco-system as they say: “We wonder if people can view us as sorts of new creatures that appeared [in Yodogawa] because of the garbage.”

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[Xman vibrator-96]

Takayuki Okamoto’s Xman vibrator-96 uses 96 pedometers to amplify the sense of one’s bodily existence. The pedometers activate corresponding vibrators installed inside the suit and make the wearer tangibly feel what part of his body is currently moving. Okamoto created other kinds of suits that are designed to transform visual and auditory perception of one’s body. Other installations featured in the show include Nobi Aniki by Ryo Kaneko and Hanakutone by Ayaka Banno.

via Digital Stadium